In the living room, Yui sat on the couch, Ayato in the armchair beside her.

“Now,” Reiji began, snapping Yui from her thoughts, “for the sake of formality, let’s begin. Why don’t you tell us about yourself and how you came to enter this house?”

“Uh, right. Well, I—”

A sudden laugh echoed from above. Yui looked up to see another man leaning casually against the railing, a smirk on his face. Like the others, he wore a uniform, and a fedora rested atop his head.

“Could it be that a little human girl has decided to pay us a visit?” he drawled, raising an eyebrow.

Yui flinched as something warm and wet slid across her cheek. She recoiled in disgust, clutching her face.

“Please, let me try,” a voice offered from behind her. Before she could react, she felt the same sensation flick across her ear. She squeezed her eyes shut, desperate not to look at him.

“Stop that, you two! It’s highly inappropriate to behave so impolitely toward a young woman you’ve only just met,” Reiji admonished.

“But why?” Laito asked. “She looks and smells pretty bland, so no one’s really missing out. Kanato agrees with me, right?”

“Yes, I do,” the boy replied casually.

“Hey, knock it off, you guys,” Ayato snapped, drawing attention to himself. “Have you forgotten that Yours Truly saw her first? Consequently, Yours Truly is going to get the first bite.”

“Lame. I’m so sick of hearing you call yourself ‘Yours Truly,’” Yui muttered.

“What the hell?” Ayato cursed, standing abruptly and scanning the room. “Damn it, Subaru! I know it’s you—come out and show yourself!”

“I’m right here,” a drawn-out voice replied. The group’s eyes turned to Subaru, who looked thoroughly annoyed, one eye hidden behind his bangs. “I thought I detected the smell of a human in here. Guess I was right. Who is this mortal that dares awaken me from my precious sleep?”

“How did you enter this room so quietly?” Yui asked, ignoring his question.

“You will answer my question first!” Subaru demanded, slamming his fist against the wall and cracking the plaster.

“Do any of you know what’s going on here? We must find out why this young woman has come to live with us,” Reiji said, adjusting his glasses. Ayato sank back into his chair, and silence fell. Sensing the tension, Yui stood to speak.

“Well, I think this is some sort of misunderstanding, so I’ll be on my way now,” she said, stepping forward—but Reiji blocked her path.

“Wait just a minute. We are trying to get to the bottom of this situation. Don’t you think it would be rather rude to leave right now?”

“But… but I—”

“I wonder if she’s the young woman he mentioned the other day,” a tired voice said lazily. All eyes turned toward the pair seated across the back couch, headphones in place.

“Shu, do you know something about this girl and the reason she’s here?” Kanato asked.

“Maybe,” Shu replied.

“Don’t give us this ‘maybe’ crap. We’d all appreciate an explanation.”

Shu sighed, finally speaking. “It was that guy. He contacted us a few days ago. He said a guest would arrive from the church, and we should treat her with respect.”

“So you’re saying that… Pancake here is the prospective bride?” Ayato asked with raised brows.

“Let’s be honest—she’s more of a sacrifice than a bride,” Laito muttered.

“Oh yeah,” Shu added, opening one eye for emphasis. “He explicitly said we’re not supposed to kill her. Everything else doesn’t matter.”

“Oh really?” Laito teased, grinning. “If that’s the case, we’re going to have a very long… relationship with this woman.”

“It appears there is no misunderstanding, so allow us to introduce ourselves properly,” Reiji said. “That is the eldest son, Shu.” Shu sighed, closing his eyes once more. “I am Reiji, the second son. Next are the triplets: Ayato, Kanato, and the last son, Subaru.”

“Wait, there are supposed to be two. Where is the other one?” Reiji asked Yui.

“You mean my sister?” Yui stammered. “She—she’s right behind me.”

Shu’s sharp gaze flicked to {{user}} lingering. lingering. “So… this is the young woman chosen to be my bride.”